The Special Ones
by LeafaLynx
Summary: There are special people in this world. There are two people who are mentors for these special ones. Chip learns that he is one of the special ones and that he has known one of the mentors for all of his life.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **I am going to say this now; I have rarely ever wrote for Chip, especially as a main character. So if his character isn't at its best, that is why. Anyway, I'm sorry for keeping you from the story. I hope you enjoy it!**

Chip rolled over onto his right side. He couldn't sleep and had been tossing and turning since his mother sent him to bed fifteen minutes ago.

All of a sudden, Chip heard the faint clicking of footsteps. He knew that it probably wasn't important and that he should stay in bed, but the curiosity was nagging at his thoughts. Who was in the hallway? Why were they out and about at night? Where were they going? Eventually, the curiosity was such a bother that Chip decided to get some answers. He threw his blanket off of him, slid out of bed, and ran to his door.

After pushing open the door, Chip stepped into the hallway and saw one of the servants further down the hall. The servant was short, and they wore a dark red cape that hid many of their other features. They had not yet noticed that Chip was in the hallway. The servant was about to leave the servants' quarters and enter the castle's main hall.

"Wait," Chip called out in a whisper.

The servant whirled around to face him, their leaf green eyes barely visible in the dim lighting. Between their hooded cape and the darkness of the castle's halls, it was almost impossible for Chip to decide which of the servants was standing in front of him.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Chip recognized the stern voice of Cogsworth.

He chose not to answer Cogsworth's question and asked a question of his own. "Where are you going?"

Cogsworth didn't reply right away. He knew that Chip was one of the special ones. However, he wasn't sure if the boy was ready for the truth. _You'll have to tell him at some point. You might as well do it now._ Cogsworth told himself in his thoughts.

"I was leaving to see some close friends of mine for the first time since the spell was cast." Cogsworth admitted. "Would you like to come with me?"

Chip was silent. Why did Cogsworth want him to come along? Why did Chip feel like he needed to go with him?

He considered his options. Chip could go back to bed although he was not tired. Then, he would continue to toss and turn for quite some time before he finally managed to fall asleep. Or, he could go with Cogsworth and have a small adventure. When he thought about it, Chip's second option sounded a lot more entertaining.

With a small nod that was barely noticeable in the darkness, Chip bean to follow the Head of Household down the hallway. Now, Chip was left with one question; where were they going?


	2. Chapter 2

The gentle chirping of crickets filled the night air as Chip and Cogsworth approached a house in a moonlight clearing in the Black Forest. Light shined through the house's windows, proving that someone was awake inside. A river entered the clearing from amidst the trees.

A woman sat on the river bank with her feet in the river's cold waters. She had brown hair and wore a knee-length blue dress. Her gaze was focused on the rippling water as if she was staring into space. This left her completely unaware that Cogsworth and Chip were standing behind her.

"Brooke?" Cogsworth said, getting the woman's attention.

In her surprise, she whirled around to face him, but her shock soon gave way to joy and relief. "Cogsworth!" she exclaimed, racing to his side and pulling him into a friendly embrace. "I was so worried that something had happened to you. After all, you were gone for _ten years._ I was so afraid that you had been found out and were exiled or imprisoned or even executed." A few tears ran down her cheeks as she thought of what could've been.

"Calm down, Brooke, I'm fine; everything's fine." Cogsworth assured her. "There were just some 'mishaps' at the castle. Nothing bad has happened."

It wasn't until then that Brooke noticed Chip's presence. "Who is this?" she asked gesturing towards Chip.

"This is Chip. He's also from the castle." Cogsworth explained vaguely.

"Is he-" Brooke began to ask.

"Yes," Cogsworth replied before she could finish.

"Which is it?"

"I believe that it's air."

"How long have you known?"

"I've known for quite a while now."

"Have you explained any of it to him?"

"No, not yet."

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Chip asked, interrupting Brooke and Cogsworth's continuous cycle of question and answer. Both of them turned to face him. They shared a quick, knowing glance before returning their gazes to the child.

"Chip, there's something that I have been waiting to tell you for a while now." Cogsworth said. He kneeled down in front of the boy. "There are certain people in this world with special abilities. They have the power to harness the magic of the elements: fire, water, earth, air, ice, time, lightning, darkness, and light. Brooke and I have been mentoring these people for years now on how to use their powers. You are one of those special people, Chip. That's why I brought you here."

Chip struggled to take in all of the information he had just been told. He had element magic (probably air magic based on what he had gathered from Cogsworth's earlier conversation with Brooke.) Also, Cogsworth had clearly known for years yet had refused to tell Chip all of this until now. What else was going on that he didn't know about?

Then, the door to the house opened and two people stepped out. Both seemed to be around the age of fifteen. One was a girl in dark clothing. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail, and a necklace with a crescent moon charm hung around her neck. On the contrary, her male companion was dressed mostly in shades of gold and white. He wore a sun necklace around his neck that looked rather similar to the one the girl was wearing.

"Brooke, is something wrong? Joseph thought he heard someone scream." the girl said as she stepped outside. She had not yet noticed who stood in the clearing.

"Cogsworth?" the boy, Joseph, asked. He seemed to be questioning if the scene in front of him was real and not just a dream.

"I'm really here," Cogsworth promised him, smiling at his old friend.

"I can't believe that you're actually back!" the girl exclaimed before repeating the same process as Brooke and pulling Cogsworth into an embrace.

"Be gentle, Shyla. I'm sure that he's been squeezed enough already by Brooke." Joseph laughed. Brooke became bright red for a brief moment.

"Are they mentors like you?" Chip whispered to Brooke after she had recovered from her embarrassment.

"No, Shyla and Joseph are two of my and Cogsworth's students. The twins are orphans though, so I decided that they could stay with me." Brooke answered.

"Do you all meet here at night often?" Chip wondered.

"We use to get together almost every other night, but then Cogsworth stopped coming. What exactly happened at the castle?" Brooke asked him.

"It's a long story," Chip trailed off. He shuffled his feet nervously.

"They deserve to know what happened." Cogsworth said as he and the twins joined the two of them.

 **Okay, so that's that! I would love to hear everyone's opinions on this chapter or even just the story in general.**

 **Also, try and guess which elements Cogsworth, Brooke, Shyla, and Joseph have the power to use. Remember, the elements are fire, water, earth, air, ice, time, lightning, darkness, and light.**

 **I'll see you all in chapter 3!**


	3. Chapter 3

Brooke smiled as she watched Chip and the twins by the riverbank. Joseph and Shyla were instructing Chip on how to unearth his magic. A part of Brooke was grateful to Joseph and Shyla for offering to teach Chip how to do the first elemental skill, being one with your element and its magic.

"He's a fast learner," Brooke commented as Cogsworth sat down beside her. Cogsworth did not reply, but instead, stared off into space. His green eyes were misty and seemed to be looking at something far away.

Shyla made a gesture with her hand, signaling to Brooke that she and Joseph had finished helping Chip with the first part of his training. Brooke nudged her elbow hard into Cogsworth's shoulder, snapping him from his memories. "Come on, Father Time, we have an apprentice to teach," she teased him.

Just as Brooke was beginning to stand up, Cogsworth pushed her back down in a playful manner. He chuckled as he pulled himself to his feet. Brooke smirked. She wasn't going to let him win that easily. Cogsworth screeched in surprise as a wave of water came crashing over him. When the water receded back to the river, Brooke and the others were nice and dry, but Cogsworth was drenched in river water.

The clearing roared with laughter. Joseph tried to hide his amusement and stay respectful and composed toward his mentor, though he was clearly struggling. Brooke was shaking with laughter and ended up falling backwards onto the soft grass. Even Cogsworth was laughing at his own, wet misfortune.

Chip was, in all honesty, somewhat surprised by Cogsworth's more relaxed behavior. If something like that had happened back at the castle, Cogsworth would've lost himself in a fit of rage (especially if it was Lumiere's fault). Maybe it was true that some people acted differently when they were among friends.

"Come on, Mistress of Tsunamis, we have an apprentice to teach." Cogsworth echoed Brooke's words in the same teasing tone she had used earlier.

Chip really was a fast learner. The moon had climbed higher and then lower into the night as time and teaching went on. By now, Chip knew the basics of using his magic and could perform a few elemental feats.

"Can you show me some of your elemental powers too?" Chip suggested excitedly. While it had not been part of the original plan, the other four elementals agreed. Somehow, they devised an order to which they would show their own skills through hand gestures and head nods: Cogsworth, Brooke, Shyla, Joseph.

Cogsworth moved towards a small patch of light blue flowers at the riverbank. He kneeled down next to them and, with a flick of his hand, signaled for Chip to join him. The eight year old boy hurried to his mentor's side. Chip followed Cogsworth's gaze to one of the little, blue flowers. He watched intently, waiting to see what would happen. Then, somewhat slowly, the flower's delicate petals curled back towards one another before meeting up in the center. The flower looked as if it had never bloomed in the first place. _So that is one of the things that time elementals can do,_ Chip thought as he stared at the enclosed flower.

Then, Chip turned towards Brooke who was already sitting at the water's edge. "You already got to see one of the things that I'm capable of," Brooke said, "but to show you something more elegant-" Brooke raised her hand upward, and a spire of water followed it. When her hand stopped moving, the water took a shape. Chip watched in awe as the water moved into a shape that strongly resembled a butterfly. With a swift but powerful downward movement of her hand, Brook sent the water butterfly plummeting back into the river.

Mere seconds after that, Chip saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see Shyla holding two ribbon-like strands of dark magic, one in each hand. He thought he heard Joseph mumble something about how Shyla had always been impatient. The magic seemed to dance in the air as Shyla maneuvered it above her head. Faster than Chip could realized what was happening, the dark magic seemed to become more like whips than ribbons. They cut through the air so quickly that Chip could hear a slashing sound, almost as if Shyla was slicing through the wind itself.

Lastly, it was Joseph's turn to display one of his elemental abilities. He simply began to glow. Light formed around him as if he were a miniature sun. Of course, he didn't shine to brightly, for none of the four experienced elementals wanted anyone to know that they were there.

Then, a million things began to happen at once. There was the sound of a gunshot. Shyla's sobbing screams filled the night. The light was gone. Chip had no idea what was happening because it was all happening too fast.

Amidst the chaos, Chip heard Cogsworth's fearful voice, "Chip, go behind the house and hide." Chip still didn't understand the situation, but he obeyed. He ran, as fast as his legs would carry him, behind the single house in the clearing. His heart was pounding in his chest as he stopped.

Chip peered around the edge of the house, and the whole event slowly came into view as Chip realized what was happening. Shyla was sitting on her knees, holding Joseph close to her. From where he was, Chip could hear her whispering soft words of encouragement though he couldn't hear exactly what she was saying.

He crept closer, trying to hear what Shyla was saying. Her words were still indecipherable, but it sounded as if she was singing now. A sad, broken melody filled the air even though its lyrics could not be heard. Now that he was closer, Chip saw that Joseph's clothing, especially around his stomach, was stained with dark, crimson blood. As he crept closer still, Chip heard the last four lines of Shyla's mourning song.

"Brother, I don't want to say goodbye, so please do not leave me alone. Stay strong an open up your eyes. Then you and I can go home." Everything after that was lost in choking sobs that shook Shyla's body.

In the trees and underbrush surrounding the clearing stood a hunter. He was visibly shaking, and he clutched his gun close to him. Then, the shadows around him seemed to tremble slightly before leaping from where they perched. They crowded around the hunter who tried to swat them away but to no avail. The shadows circled him before finally settling into a cocoon shape. Chip had no idea what would happen to the hunter now, but that was the least of his concerns.

When Chip looked back towards the twins, Joseph was not moving. He hung limply in Shyla's arms, and his twin sister was crying her very heart out. It was then that Chip saw Cogsworth and Brooke for the first time since everything happened. The two teachers were slowly approaching their heartbroken student.

"Shyla," Cogsworth began to whisper, attempting to console her.

"Leave me alone!" Shyla screeched.

A wave of dark magic flew from Shyla and slammed into Brooke and Cogsworth, sending them flying backwards. Cogsworth collapsed to the ground a couple yards away from where he had originally been standing. All of the plants within a one foot radius of where Cogsworth landed withered and died in a matter of seconds. Brooke was flung slightly farther back, and her upper body landed in the water.

Every instinct in Chip's body told him to race out from his hiding place to help, but he knew better. Instead, he continued to watch the scene unfolding before him.

For a little while, Shyla continued to sit in the middle of the clearing, mourning for her lost brother. After what seemed like an eternity (but was probably a couple minutes), Shyla stood and raced from the clearing.

At that very moment, Chip raced to Cogsworth's side. He was clearly in pain. However, there were no physical injuries that Chip could see.

"I'll…be fine, Chip. Go… help Brooke… She was hit with… the full force of the blow." Cogsworth managed to say between breaths.

Knowing better than to argue with Cogsworth, Chip hurried towards Brooke. She was conscious, though barely. Chip tried to pull her half drenched body from the river, but he wasn't strong enough to move her far. He stole a glance over his shoulder at Cogsworth, who had managed to sit up but was literally shaking with the exhaustion and pain. Helping both of his mentors at once was impossible, and despite anything Cogsworth and his stubbornness might insist, they both needed help. Chip didn't know what he should do, didn't know what he could do.

It was then that two humanoid figures made of mist materialized in the clearing. One leaned down and lifted Brooke into its arms. The other helped Cogsworth to his feet. Cogsworth glanced at the misty figure and then at Chip who was standing there, stunned. _He really is a fast learner_ , Cogsworth thought proudly.

The entry hall was silent with the exception of Mrs. Potts's footsteps. She had woken up in the middle of the night and decided to get a quick glass of water before going back to sleep.

Then, there was a knock on the large double doors that lead outside. "Who could be at the front door at this time of night?" Mrs. Potts wondered aloud. She pulled open the door to see a shocking sight.

Chip was standing there, refusing to meet her gaze. Cogsworth sat on the stone pathway, and an unfamiliar woman lay in his lap.

For a second, Mrs. Potts just stood there and stared, dumbfounded. With a shake of her head, Mrs. Potts took action. "Chip, find Lumiere," she instructed her son. Lumiere would be able to help with the girl.

"Cogsworth, what is going on?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"I'll explain everything in the morning, so everyone can hear. They all deserve to know." Cogsworth replied.

 **That took a while to do. *long sigh* I would like to thank Babetteisawesome for two reasons. First, she has been really supportive and helpful so far. Second, she was one of the authors who inspired me to make this account in the first place. She really is an awesome author. Well, I will see you all in chapter four.**


	4. Chapter 4

A thick silence filled the hallway. The only sound in the space was Cogsworth's own footsteps, but even that sound was slow with long pauses between each click on the tiles. The impatient part of Cogsworth's mind insisted that he move faster while the rational part of his mind continuously reminded him not to hurry, for his whole body still ached from last night.

Then, the sound of more, faster footsteps echoed down the hall. Cogsworth turned to see Chip fall into step beside him. For a short while, the two walked side by side in silence. Eventually, Chip tore the curtain of silence between them.

"Cogsworth, why did that man hurt Joseph last night?" Chip asked.

"You see, Chip, the normal people fear us, or to be more specific, they fear our magic. They are afraid of the control we have on the world and what we could do with such control. That is why I always met with the others in secret. No normal person could know the truth about us because it would put our safety – or even our lives – at risk." Cogsworth explained.

Chip did not reply and only stared at the floor. After that, they walked the rest of the way to the dining hall in silence. Cogsworth glanced once at the boy as they slowly made their way through the castle. He felt horrible knowing that Chip would have to live such a dangerous and risky life.

 _Oh, the sweet irony of it all,_ Cogsworth thought bitterly. _I've been dodging normal people's notice for centuries, maybe even a millennia or two, but Joseph was the one who had to die. The boy was only fifteen. Why did his life have to be taken instead of mine?_

Once the long, slow walk throughout the castle had reached its end, Cogsworth and Chip finally stood at the dining hall's door. Cogsworth reached for the doorknob, but his hand froze when Chip asked him one last question.

"Do you think that Shyla will be alright?" Chip wondered.

"I don't know, Chip," Cogsworth admitted. With that said, Cogsworth pushed open the door and the two elementals entered the dining hall where all of the other servants were already waiting for them.

At first, neither of them seemed to notice the other servants in the room. Their focus had instantly locked onto another person in the dining hall. She was seated across from Babette, ignoring the fact that the maid was giving her a cold glare. When she saw the two of them in the doorway, she smiled warmly at them.

"Brooke!" Chip exclaimed. The young boy raced towards her and threw himself into her arms. "You're okay."

"Of course I'm okay, Chip." Brooke said, pulling him into her embrace. After he released her and ran to his mother, Brooke looked up to see Cogsworth seated next to her.

Cogsworth held back laughter each time he looked at Babette's reaction to Brooke. Her brown eyes continuously flickered between Brooke and where Lumiere sat next to her, glaring all the while. Of course, with Lumiere's flirtatious behavior, Cogsworth couldn't blame the maid for being overly protective.

"So, what exactly happened last night?" Lumiere asked the question that they were all wondering.

With a sigh, Cogsworth began to reluctantly recount the events of the previous night. Shock filled the room when he explained that he and Chip were elementals. However, now was the time to speak of Joseph's death, a topic that Cogsworth really didn't want to discuss. Thankfully, Brooke spared him the painful explanation by continuing the story herself.

Everything had been explained, and the servants all fell into silence. No one knew what to say about everything they had just heard. Though he had a great gift for staying positive in almost any situation, even Lumiere had nothing to say. It was the first time in his life that Cogsworth recalled all of the servants being completely silent.

Using has time magic to pull him away from the present, Cogsworth delved into his memories. Soon, an image appeared before him. Joseph and Shyla were younger, probably around the age of nine, and Brooke was there as well. Cogsworth even saw himself there (like he always did), though there was no visible difference between his current self and his self from this six-years-past memory. The twins were beginning their training, but after a few seconds, the memory was too painful to watch any longer. It melted away, leaving Cogsworth right back where he started.

Though she had not seen Cogsworth's memory, Brooke knew he had been spectating something from his past. Every time he watched one of his many memories his eyes would become misty as if he was looking somewhere far away. Whatever Cogsworth had seen didn't last long and was clearly unpleasant, for he pulled himself away from the memory quickly and there was a haunted look in his eyes.

Shyla leaned against the leafless oak tree. She was still sobbing even now, thinking back on the events of the previous night.

After she had left the clearing, Shyla had ran as fast as she possible could have. Lost in her grief, Shyla had not cared about where she was going. She had continued like that until she was completely deprived of energy between sobbing and running. At that point she had collapsed. When she had woken this morning, she had found herself at the bottom of the oak.

 _He's gone. He's really gone,_ Shyla thought, still trying to tell herself that it had really happened and that it hadn't been a nightmare. _That's what my life is now,_ she realized, _a nightmare. The normal human tore my brother, my only family, away from me, and now I don't know where I am. My life has turned into a waking nightmare. And that's what I'll do to them. They destroyed my life, and now I'll destroy theirs. I'll make the humans pay for what they've done to me!_

 **There is chapter 4. I'm sorry if this was confusing at the part where Cogsworth was spectating on his memories. That will be explained more later on in the book.**

 **Also, side-note to Babetteisawesome, I promise that I'll use Babette more in the future (and use her better). For now, I just wanted to do something that wasn't as heavy and serious as the rest of the chapter, and Babette gave me that opportunity.**


	5. Chapter 5

Babette giggled to herself as she raced down the dirt path that wound through the trees. She could hear the crunching of dry leaves under Lumiere's feet as he chased her playfully down the forest path.

Normally, they wouldn't get away with this. They would be chased down by one of the most dangerous predators that ventured into the Black Forest: Cogsworth. But, ever since the incident a few nights ago, the head of household hadn't been himself. He'd been spending most of his time alone, and when he was around the others, his actions were either monotone or depressed. For the time being, however, Lumiere and Babette were enjoying the freedom to be alone with each other.

Pushing the thought of her usual pursuant to the back of her mind, Babette continued hurrying down the path. She skipped over a large stick that had fallen on the path.

Behind her, the sound of flying, rustling leaves erupted. There was the crack of a snapping branch and a sharp gasp. Babette turned to see if Lumiere had fallen over the branch she had just passed. Suddenly, she was pulled into his arms.

"I can't believe you fell for that," Lumiere whispered into her ear. He leaned in to kiss her, but, so fast that Babette could barely comprehend what happened, Lumiere pulled away and released her.

When Babette's mind caught up with the situation, she noticed a dark vine wrapped around Lumiere's waist, holding him a few inches off the ground. She was about to race towards him and try to help, but two shadows swooped onto the path and began circling her. Babette tried to take a step towards Lumiere, but a third shadow cut her off. All she could do was watch helplessly as the vine constricted itself around her lover like a snake.

Then, a young woman dressed in dark blue and black emerged from the trees. Her brown, hate-filled eyes almost seemed to be black. Some of the same shadows that circled Babette began to circle amongst the golden leaves of the trees, sending them fluttering down to the ground. The circle of shadow began to cause a breeze that sent the dark girl's black hair billowing like smoke. A smile spread across her face.

More black vines slithered out from the newly formed shadows, wrapping themselves around Lumiere as he struggled against them uselessly. A league of shadows continued to swarm around Babette, gradually blocking her view.

"Burn in the fiery pits of death, you dirty brother killers," the girl growled.

A tiny bolt of lightning flew from the trees, and it collided with the girl's head. Her eyes rolled back into her head as her knees buckled. She collapsed onto the dirt path, her body limp. The shadows cleared away in an instant. Babette gasped for air. While trapped in the shadows, she hadn't even noticed that she had been unable to breathe.

Once Babette had caught her breath, she looked up to see a man kneeled down next to the girl's body. He was tall and thin with sand-colored hair. His stormy gray eyes were focused on the girl's unmoving body.

Lumiere and Babette slowly walked to his side and kneeled down next to him. He didn't even glance in their direction, but he clearly knew that they were there.

"Is she dead?" Babette whispered.

"No, she is merely unconscious," the man replied. Finally, he turned to face them. "My name is Cumul, and I'm a lightning elemental."

"My name is Lumiere, and this is my fiancé Babette." Lumiere introduced them. "We come from Prince Adam's castle."

"I happen to have a friend from the castle, and I would be more than happy to escort you home." Cumul said.

Lumiere was about to protest, but when he thought of the girl who had attacked them, he decided that it would be safer with someone who was capable of dealing with such situations.

000

Cumul pushed open the door to the study. "Good afternoon, Cogsworth."

The head of household slowly turned to face him. Worry instantly began coursing through Cumul's body. This behavior wasn't normal for Cogsworth.

"Hello, Cumul," Cogsworth mumbled before turning to face forward again.

Determined to know what was troubling his friend, Cumul pulled a chair over and sat next to him. For a short while, the two sat in silence. "What's on our mind?" Cumul finally asked.

With a defeated sigh, Cogsworth began to recount the events of the incident for the third time.

"Interesting," Cumul mumbled to himself once Cogsworth had finished, "I ran into a dark elemental not too long ago. She looked to be around the same age as this Shyla you mentioned."

Cogsworth suddenly became very tense. He looked up at Cumul with questioning eyes.

"I was in the Black Forest when I came across her. At the time she was attacking two servants from the castle. Using my magic to knock the girl into unconsciousness, I escorted the two servants home." Cumul summarized.

"So that's why you came," Cogsworth muttered half to himself. Cumul lived a solitary life away from most of the country's problems. When he had first come, it was a question of why he had left his peaceful safe haven.

"I believe that the girl I met today is, in fact, your former student Shyla." Cumul admitted.

"That could be true, but why would she be so bent on destruction, even of people she's never met?" Cogsworth wondered.

"Revenge, maybe?" Cumul suggested.

"It's possible," Cogsworth agreed. "Thank you for everything, Cumul. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the situation."

"Do you honestly think that I'm going to do nothing and go home?" Cumul exclaimed.

"I know how you feel about battle, and with how things are going now, there will be bloodshed."

"Cogsworth, you are right about my dislike for battle. However, the battle itself isn't the thing I hate. I hate the bloodshed and the pointless killing. If I could, I would fight to uphold my morals and keep as many people as possible from dying. I am more than willing to stand beside you in battle if it means protecting the innocent." Cumul promised. "A storm has hit and it's shaking us apart. I'm just sorry that I couldn't predict this one."

"I wish it had been me instead," Cogsworth sighed.


	6. Chapter 6

Cogsworth sat at the small desk in the corner of his room. He was reading through a set of papers and was on the third of five pages.

Ever since Joseph's death, everything had been a struggle against feeling helpless. When Cumul had come with the news of Babette and Lumiere being attacked, it became worse. Cogsworth still did what was needed of him around the castle, though he had lost much of his normal sense of urgency. As of late, he barely ate or slept, and it was very clear that almost everyone in the castle was worried about him.

Honestly, Cogsworth had no idea what the past three pages of writing had said. Annoyed by his lack of focus, Cogsworth shuffled back to the first page to start again.

Not even a minute later, a knock came at the door. Confused, Cogsworth glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was the middle of the night! Who on earth was at his bedroom door at a time like this? Whoever it was, Cogsworth didn't have time to deal with them right now.

"I'm busy," he called to the person at the door. Or, at least, that's what he had meant to do. When he spoke, the words were muffled in a way that made it sound like he was mumbling. The sound of his voice surprised Cogsworth. It didn't sound like him at all.

Worried now, Cogsworth hurried to the mirror that hung above his dresser. As soon as he saw his reflection staring back at him, Cogsworth realized just how much this situation had been effecting him. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, and his skin was deathly pale. It was at that moment when Cogsworth finally realized just how exhausted he was.

Another knock came at the door then. Cogsworth was about to tell the person to go away, but he gave in. "Come in," he sighed, defeated.

Brooke stepped into the room, not bothering to hide her concern. "You should be getting some sleep," she pointed out.

"I could tell you the same thing." Cogsworth replied.

"Which of us is sleep deprived?" Brooke snapped, losing her patience with him.

"Point taken," Cogsworth sighed. He sat at the foot of his bed, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Cogsworth, I'm worried about you. Everyone's worried about you." Brooke said, sitting down next to him. "You can't keep doing this to yourself. It's not good for your health."

"Do you think I care if I end up horribly ill at this point?" Cogsworth exclaimed. "Maybe if I get lucky, it'll kill me."

"Surely, you don't mean that?" Brooke asked, her terrified voice no more than a whisper.

"Brooke, the only reason that I've been using my magic to keep myself going for over a millennia is because I had hope that humans and elementals could have peace with one another. It was a stupid dream. So, what was the point? Now, I don't see one. There's no hope left, and at the rate we're going, there won't be any humans left either." Cogsworth explained his reasoning.

"Cumul and I made a plan to stop Shyla. She's blinded by anger and grief. If we can get her to pause for just a moment, we might be able to make her start thinking straight again. After all, she has no desire to hurt elementals." Brooke replied.

"Do you really think that we can stop this?" Cogsworth wondered.

"I know we can," Brooke answered, a smile lighting up her expression.

"This whole thing is my fault!" Cogsworth suddenly scolded himself.

"How on earth is this your fault?" Brooke questioned him.

"I should've been the one who was shot. I should've been paying attention. I should've seen the hunter. I shouldn't have waited until Joseph was dead to try comforting Shyla. I should've done something to try and spare the boy's life, but no, I stood there and did nothing like the cowardly idiot I am." Cogsworth listed.

"You're way too hard on yourself." Brooke sighed. She knew all too well that Cogsworth was over-reacting. In an attempt to comfort him, she pulled him into her arms.

"If it had been me, none of this would've happened." Cogsworth wailed.

"Maybe not, but without you, the castle would fall apart. I would have no idea what to do. Training elementals to use their magic properly was your idea." Brooke reminded him. "Besides, it would be a waste of a thousand-some years of working towards a goal."

"An impossible goal that could never be fulfilled," Cogsworth muttered.

"It might be impossible, but stopping Shyla isn't. Even if we can't have complete peace, we can stop this pointless bloodshed." Brooke insisted.

"I suppose you're right," Cogsworth admitted.

"Well, I'm going to get some sleep." Brooke said as she stood. "I suggest that you do the same." With that said, Brooke left.

Knowing that she was right, Cogsworth blew out the candle that still burned on his desk before getting some much needed sleep.


	7. Note

**Hello, everyone. I'm afraid I have some bad news… Don't worry, I'm not quitting Fanfiction and nobody has died. However, I will not be continuing The Special Ones like I said I would. This is due to the fact that I have absolutely NO inspiration anymore. I will give you a brief summary of what happens and the epilogue (because I've had that planned for months now).**

Chapter 7 –

Brooke, Cumul, and Cogsworth plan on how to deal with the Shyla problem. They decide that thy want to avoid violence, but they make a strategy in case it comes to that.

Following Chapters:

They find Shyla. In the end, Shyla is reformed and returns with them to the castle. Cumul goes home, but Brooke and Shyla decide to stay permanently at the castle.

Cogsworth and Shyla consult Prince Adam, asking if he can create peace between Elementals and Humans. The aforementioned peace is achieved, and Brooke and Cogsworth begin training Elementals once more at the castle.

 **That is my summary. I apologize for it being so short, I wasn't kidding about having dead inspiration.**

 **Also, I would like to explain a reason why I am updating kind of slow. Recently my friend, WolfAngel, and I started a joint account on Wattpad. If any of you would like to check it out, it is named WilloNyan.**


	8. Epilogue

**Here's the epilogue I promised. I'm sorry again for cutting the book short, but the inspiration failed me. But, if you're interested and have not read it already, I'm currently working on a book called The Dark Secret. It's a continuation of Babetteisawesome's "dark" series.**

Cogsworth smiled as he watched Shyla and Chip. He couldn't believe how much things had changed since Prince Adam had forged piece between elementals and humans, five years ago. For a while, he and Brooke had been mentoring young elementals at the castle, but as time went on, Shyla and Chip had been helping and slowly taking over their jobs. Currently, the two were teaching an earth elemental named Francis.

Suddenly, a cold raindrop fell on his nose, but there wasn't a single cloud in the evening sky. "How odd," Cogsworth said to himself, though he knew exactly where it had come from.

Brooke laughed as she sat down beside him, "guilty as charged." She turned her attention to her former students. "So, how much longer do you want to keep teaching now that we each have a protégé?"

"If you're asking how many times I'm going to restore my life, the answer is none. I have the world I've been working towards now and can rest in peace when my time comes." Cogsworth answered.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "I already knew that. I'm asking when you think we should retire."

"Stop that, Brooke! You're making me feel my age." Cogsworth complained, earning a laugh from her. "But, in all seriousness, I don't really care," he admitted. "It is a bit hectic trying to balance two jobs at once."

A warm breeze dance through the sky, ruffling Brooke's long brown hair. The wind carried a lyrical message and a familiar voice with it. The tune matched Shyla's aria from the night of Joseph's death.

"I'm never very far away, so please release of your grief. I'll be waiting for you at Heaven's gates. I'll see you soon, my family." The wind carried Joseph's voice. All four of the elementals who had known him heard the message.

Down in the clearing, Shyla stopped dead, staring off into space. Tears began to glisten in her dark brown eyes.

Seeing her emotional breakdown, Chip said to Francis, " Class is dismissed. We'll see you tomorrow afternoon." With a nod, the earth elemental turned and began to leave.

Chip placed a hand on Shyla's shoulder comfortingly. She turned to face him, tears rolling down her face. Side by side, they walked up the hill to meet their former mentors. Once they had reached the top, Shyla collapsed onto her knees and broke out sobbing.

She jumped when she felt someone pull her into a hug. "We miss him too," Brooke whispered in her ear. Soon, Shyla felt Chip pull her into a hug as well. With a defeated sigh, even Cogsworth joined them.

While they stayed like that, Cogsworth couldn't stop thinking about the last line of Joseph's message, 'I'll see you soon my family.' Joseph thought of the four of them as his family, though Shyla was the only one of them that was actually related. The more Cogsworth thought about it, the more he realized just how right Joseph was. They truly were a mismatched family (in the figurative sense).

 **So, there you have it. I've officially finished this book. I apologize that his epilogue was kid of short, but I had this idea to end the story a long time ago and still wanted to use it. I hope you all enjoyed the story.**


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